The rise of the Internet and the changing nature of mass media have made it easy and inexpensive to produce content and connect with your audience.

Two major trends came into play this year to reestablish print as a smart media strategy for B2C brands.

“Content marketing has taken off the last few years because of the market conditions around content creation and distribution,” writes John Miller in Business2Community. “In other words, the rise of the Internet and the fall of mass media have made it easy and inexpensive to produce content and connect with your audience.”

Miller notes several companies that launched printed publications – like AirBnB, Uber, and even a craft brewery called Dogfish Head that offers a quarterly print title for people “who like to think and drink.”

As traditional publishers have increasingly become magazine media brands, brands themselves are finding ways to leverage print in the space between mass media titles.

“Print is expensive – it requires buying paper, running a printing press, packing the magazine and then shipping it somewhere; you’re paying for something every step of the way, whereas you can spin up a WordPress blog by lunchtime,” Miller notes.

“But that cost doesn’t mean that consumers don’t still love print. The biggest problem with print media is the business model. For a brand, the business model isn’t an issue; presumably, your company is already making money at whatever your core business is,” he explains.

It makes perfect sense.

Brands like Dogfish Head aren’t in business to sell magazines; they are in business to sell beer. And they are rediscovering the power of their print audience to move the needle.

Print is a vital gateway for many brands to a more committed and engaged audience, and brand publications provide “a better, more immersive experience,” Miller writes. “It creates a deeper connection.”

As brands getting better at telling their story, it’s only natural that the story will often be shared in print.

“In short, it’s become a gift that delivers value for clients and prospects,” says Miller.

“Maybe that’s the biggest attribute print has going for it – it’s a gift. Print is more permanent and more tangible than digital, and it can create a sense of intimacy that digital just can’t.”